CREW: Dais, Klaude, Francis, and Nichole (Francis’s photog gf)
FLAKES OF THE DAY: None
RAN INTO: No one
TIME: 0815 – 1015, 2 hrs.CONDITIONS: Cold front, icy balls temperature, slight offshore winds, glassy, scattered peaks, right-hand dominant, a couple lefts to be had, and averaging chest high.
I tried to surf at Porto and Parks this past week, but every time I went to take a look, it wasn’t that good. I had work this weekend, but because of the possible government shut down, work was cancelled. Unexpectedly, I had this Saturday off, and Dais and Klaude already had the thought of venturing out of the South Bay for some surf. We debated on where to go. I’ve shown a lot of favoritism for Trestles, and I put the idea out there to see what the fellas thought. They said they wanted to check out Sunset or Malibu. Initially, I thought about just making the drive to Trestles on my own, but instead I valued the idea of sharing some waves with friends.
I got under four hours of sleep and still made it to Klaude’s house at 0620. Dais was running late, so I rummaged through Klaude’s refrigerator and kitchen cabinets to pass the time. There was no ice cream. Dais finally showed up, and we hit the road at about seven.
The last time I went up north was when I surfed at Oxnard with Rick and Michaelson, and that was about two months ago. I actually love to surf Sunset. That right that forms off of the point is really clean, but I can’t deal with the crowds, and parking is a bitch over there. When we drove by Sunset the conditions were really clean, but the waves weren’t even three feet. We kept driving and parked when we reached Malibu; I’ve only driven by that spot in the past, and it was my first time having an opportunity to gaze out at it. It was a chilly morning. The crisp air bit at my toes; the water looked even cooler. Sorry to say, but Sunset looked a little better.
 |
| Malibu |
 |
| Zumas |
Klaude fired up the bang-bus, and we were off to check out Zumas, another first for me. It was amazing seeing the different surf spots north of the South Bay for the first time. Zumas is a beach break, and there were a couple peaks that were firing. The shore pound there looked big, but the wave looked fast and racy. Some of the waves looked a little hollow; it was definitely a shortboard spot. It looked a little crowded for just a couple peaks, plus there was a surf contest going on. We huddled for the next move.
“I don’t care; I’m just a passenger today,” I said.
“Sunset looked pretty good. We could go back there unless you guys want to keep going further north,” said Klaude.
“Well, Sunset looked all right, but I kind of like exploring and checking out these different spots,” said Dais.
 |
| The search continues. |
And just like that, we headed further north and came upon County Line. Dais has seen it before, but for Klaude and me, it was our first time. First of all, the parking is a dirt and gravel shoulder that’s on a cliff, overlooking the surf. The wind was still chilly and offshore as we walked towards the lookout to see the conditions. We didn’t expect it, but before us was a promise land of surf. Who would’ve expected it after the let downs we saw on the way there? It kind of reminded me of Trestles. The water was glassy, and there were two consistent northern peaks that gave good, chest high surf. The kelp at those peaks eliminated any texture which made the waves look much cleaner. In between the little bay were scattered peaks, less consistent but still clean and rideable. There weren’t even that many people in the water.
 |
| My apologies for my shitty camera with zoom to match. This picture of County Line doesn't quit catch the essence of how good it was out there. |
We were satisfied with what we saw, so we started changing into our gear to hit the water. Unfortunately, I couldn’t help but feel a little anxiety at the thought of paddling out. Why? Well, both of my wetsuits are on their last legs. One is so worn out on a shoulder that you could practically see through it. My O’Neill Psycho has breaks in the seal, and every time I paddle out, cold water just shoots in from everywhere. I took the cheap route and thought I’d hold out until things warmed up. Well, the cold air that numbed my ears was a premonition that my balls would be in for an icy treat.
It was obvious that we weren’t from around there. We weren’t sure how to get down the cliff, but we finally took a chance on a steep little, rocky, trail that led town to the shore. The beach has a rock bottom just like Trestles, which is probably why the surf there seemed so good and consistent. I warmed up and did a time check; it was 0815. I walked out to waist deep water and paddled out. Despite the lack of sleep, I was wide awake after that first duck dive. It was a long paddle out, but the waves were so soft and gradual that it was easy to get to the line. I paddled past the line while I caught my breath. It didn’t take long to catch my first wave; it was a left, but the section ran away before I could get a turn. I got a right after that, but it was pretty fast with a racy section as well. I caught one more, but I popped up late.
Klaude joined me in the line up and said, “You drew first blood.”
I was trying to get a feel for the waves. They were soft and gradual, but they felt fast, not HB fast, but definitely faster than Trestles. Klaude paddled north and sat at the kelp beds where he met a Japanese regular at that spot. They were rapping in Japanese, and Dais was south of me. I couldn’t believe that the crowd was that thin during prime time. I sat towards the outside and waited for the set waves, and that’s when my balls started to hurt. Yes, it was one of those mornings, that’s when I can tell if it’s really cold. A perfect left came my way, but my hands were so numb that they slipped on the pop up. I had to give it a second try, but I lost my balance on the second attempt. I was mad at myself for that. To compensate for the numbness, I had to pay closer attention to my hand positioning on my board.
I started having fun after my first couple rights. No, the rides weren’t as long as Trestles, but they were clean enough for a couple turns, and a couple turns are better than catching Porto’s close outs. I caught one right at the peak, but after a couple turns the section ran away. On a different wave, I pulled off one critical top turn off of the lip as it was closing. I’m not sure how it looked from the cliff, but I know that it felt good. When I returned, Dais told me that he saw a little toss of water out the back. Yes, I’ve realized that I don’t actually get any spray out the back, at least not just yet. No, I only get little “tosses.” This is true, as Lauren told me this at Trestles last time. She said that I’m trying to snap, but I’m doing the turn short of the lip. I hope to correct this soon.
I didn’t get to see my boys on any waves. The truth is that we got separated and just did our own thing. But I did see Klaude paddling back from the inside quite a bit, so I know he got some rides.
Etiquette lacked at this place as well. I heard, “Whoa, whoa, whoa!” from the longboarder that almost got dropped in on.
I saw Klaude’s new pal get dropped in on, too. I realized that prime time wasn’t when we paddled out. Prime time was more like 0900. Before we knew it, there were surfers everywhere, but it was a different kind of vibe. At a break with so many good waves, we were surprised that everyone wasn’t a ripper. There were a lot of beginner surfers out there, too. But I have to say that it was a positive atmosphere. I hear so many stories of localism at all these different spots. I didn’t see one altercation, no bad vibes, and no one was mad-dogging anyone. We showed respect and it was given back.
By 1000 I couldn’t take it any more. I had already been shivering hard for the last hour, and the crowd factor kept me on less waves. I wasn’t moving around as much, and the sun did little to warm me up. The cold brought about painful discomfort. I saw Klaude on the shore, so I caught my last wave in. It was 1015.
When I got to the van, Klaude and Francis were talking. Francis introduced his girlfriend Nichole, and he said that they drove over to surf with us. Klaude said that he just got out of the water to stretch and that he was paddling back out with Francis. I took a look out at the water. It was crowded, but there were still so many fun rides out there. I was just so damn cold; I couldn’t do it. I talked to some other local guys, even they said that they were cold in their 4/3s, and that today was definitely not the day for a holy wetsuit. I sat in the van and ate some snacks. Dais got out at about 1100, and everyone else was done at about 1145.
On a different note, we were parked in the middle of a tailgate party. Locals were parked all around and behind us. The guys there had a big group, and everyone that parked hung out and perched by our van. They glanced at us a couple times and went on with their business. I wasn’t sure if we’d have any problems. Then they started “lighting it up,” and even told us to let them know if we needed to move our van. Wow, I thought. They were some grimy surfers, mellow . . . just like us. We were in good company.
Our group went to Neptune’s to grab lunch then came back to eat at the cliff. Tired and full of food, we took a nap in the bang-bus. County Line was a real score. I didn’t expect it to be that good.
